Topic: What (Non-PS4) game are you playing??

@R1spam Hey mate, Blasphemous 2 is a great shout... I beat it a couple of weeks ago, and for me it certainly lived up to the hype. I would probably still put B1>B2, mainly due to atmosphere and bosses... but there is definitely a lot that B2 does to improve on original game (weapon choices, replayability etc)

Keen to see how you find the challenge curve? For me, I found this game relatively easy compared to B1.... until the penultimate boss. This 2nd-to-last boss (Eviterno?) is honestly the hardest challenge I have experienced since Ishinn the Sword Saint in Sekiro. I lost a few days fighting Eviterno, 2nd phase is absolutely bonkers. Proud to say I didn't cheese him, but my God it was difficult.

How you finding it so far? I enjoyed both Blasphemous games more than Hollow Knight in fairness, but can objectively appreciate that HK is probably 'the better game'

@JohnnyShoulder I didn't play blasphemous 1 so don't have any frame of reference I'm afraid. I'm still pretty early on and suck at games so I've found the difficulty fine, though I some criticism that it's easier. The mechanic around restricting mana with succesuve deaths feels more punishing than something like hollowknight. @CJD87 I've completely missed the first game so all of aesthetic is new to me and I'm loving it! The novel death animations are so cool. I'm still pretty early and have found the difficulty ok but now I'm worried lol. I'm still working on the parry window. I love hollow knight, it's probably my favourite 2-D metroidvania but I do really dig metroid dread too. Haven't spoke in ages mate, you been digging into more souls-like stuff? I started lies of P but haven't got too far and I bought a copy of Sekiro and keep thinking about firing it up but get intimidated by the need to parry lots.

@R1spam Yeh its been a while...! Had to sell my PS5 as my work/travel schedule really kicked back into gear post-pandemic, and I just couldn't justify having a 500 £GBP sexy white paperweight ha!
So now I'm still on Switch, and actually just got a SteamDeck as well - which I'm actually pretty impressed with (allows me to run recent titles like AC6, RE4, Lies of P, Baldurs etc... albeit with graphical/performance concessions)

Yeh for sure am starting to dig into more Souls stuff, and loved B2... I almost can't wait for you to see how horrendous the penultimate boss is. My Switch nearly went through the window!
Lies of P is great, a real 'love-letter' to FromSoft... kind of a spiritual successor to Bloodborne I guess.

Ah Sekiro still remains my #1 FromSoft game, and you'd be surprised that the parry window is actually quite generous - which is a relief as the whole game is built around parry/deflect mechanics!
Have fun with B2 though mate, I really really enjoyed my time with it - a rare occasions also where I got the physical, testament to my love of B1.

@CJD87 ooh noice choice with the Steam Deck!! One of my mates from work and got the chance to have a bit of hands on, its lush. I couldn't believe how good Witcher 3 looked on it. The stuff folks do with EmuDeck and having a ton of ROMs looks so sweet! I still play a ton of handheld switch when I want to hang out with the Mrs and Daughter and they are watching some garbage like Strictly lol. I've thought about flogging my series X for a ROG Ally just as handheld gaming makes life so much more convenient. Enjoy it bud and give it a few years and you'll be playing spiderman 2 or Ragnarok on that deck.

@R1spam Haha that’s hilarious re Strictly… can safely assume you’re UK based like me then? My missus and kids are glued to that every Saturday night, ideal Deck time!
I’m genuinely pretty impressed with the SD, and it feels bizarre being able to play something like Lies of P on a handheld (albeit at 45FPS cap, few minor stutters but nothing severe)
It really excites me for what ‘Switch 2’ could/should be capable of. SD battery life is horrific though, but not a big drama to play plugged in with a long cord.

I’ve heard v good things about Rog Ally - seems more powerful than SD, but the big concession would be price point? Handheld gaming is probably the ‘future’ for me, sounds similar to yourself.

How far through B2 are you now, you got all 3 x weapons? Long live that massive swinging hammer!!

@CJD87 Aye I'm UK based, the moment I hear "tonight dancing the cha cha cha..." is my queue to bring out the switch 🤣🤣 though I am still weirdly interested in how Tess Daily can still be fit! There is some real Dorian Gray stuff going on there...
I'm really hopeful about a Switch 2 and I guess that and price have been the thing that has held me back from the Ally. With the success of the steam deck and the Series s, you've kinda got an anchor on a lot of gamedev set up such that they have to accommodate lower end hardware, which means I think a decent nintendo handheld could last the whole gen for 3rd party support. The only thing that keeps me coming back to looking at the Ally is that you can get gamepass running on it.
For B2, I only have the sword (which i started with) and the hammer, yet to find the rapier. Still loving it though!

@R1spam Ha actually laughed out loud there... so right re Tess Daily - her and Amanda Holden seem to br drinking from the fountain of youth, both look exactly the same as they did 20+ years ago lol

re Switch2, in my opinion Nintendo just need to 'stick to the script' and basically create a more powerful unit... possibly also 2 options (digital only and physical) so that consumers can have different entry points for pricing. A new Switch with the power of Steamdeck (or slightly better) would be a dream, and also not turn off third party developpers. Here is hoping!

My deck is designed to tide me until Switch 2. When S2 lands, I may well sell both my OLED Switch and Deck (assuming S2 is backwards compatable, otherwise I'll the OLED)

Enjoy your time with B2 man, let me know how you get on!

Wait a second, hold the phone... somebody out there remembers Sonic Riders fondly enough to include it in a recent Sonic product...?!

And good shout about Amy in Sonic Boom, actually. She was still a bit of a stereotype, but in a harmless way that was played for decent laughs. I really loved that show. Wish it'd gotten a third season but hey, it's enough of a treat to have the first two.

Have you watched Sonic Prime on Netflix yet? If so, what do you make of it?

@CJD87 If I had more disposable income, I'd be all over the Deck. It's a lovely bit of gear.

At this point, though, I want to see what Ninty plans with their successor next year, and I also have the sneaking suspicion that Valve will revise the SD hardware, so buying in at this point seems foolhardy for me, considering my gaming time has dropped so dramatically.

Then again, people have also waited years to grab a "Switch Pro" based on that logic.

@Ralizah For sure it is a luxury item, especially alongside a Switch, but the sale of my PS5 (+ games) thankfully more than covered the £££ of the Deck.

I'm pleasantly surprised with how 'n00b friendly' it is for those who are quite technically challenged (like myself) with limited/zero PC knowledge. If you only plan to play Steam games, it is actually quite simple... just google the best settings (UI and in-game) and tweak accordingly. I'm currently playing Lies of P at a pretty locked 45FPS (with exception of main hub area, few drops but nothing major).

I love the Switch, but was suffering from major FOMO regarding BG3, Armored Core, Lies of P, Resi4, Street Fighter etc... all which run pretty well on Deck.

I might look into emulation down the line, but honestly there are only so many hours in the day and I think I'll stick to the aforementioned. I cannot wait to start BG3, but fancied a Souls game first.

What is your bet for Switch2? For me, if Nintendo just released a Switch with the same power (or above) as Steamdeck + better battery life + backwards compatability... I'd pre-order without hesitation!

Starfield.. ROFLMAO!

@CJD87 The ability to easily manipulate the framerate and on-screen refresh rate is one of the coolest aspects of the device.

I think the successor will largely be iterative. It's insane to think is the current environment that they'd do anything else tbh.

I'm not sure it'll be a day one at all for me, but if it's reasonably priced and fully backwards-compatible, I'll be a lot more tempted to grab it sooner than later. I have a TON of Switch games to play, so I have no use for a Nintendo device that doesn't allow me to play those until it has a suitably large collection of exclusive games.

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@RogerRoger I don't think anyone really hated Sonic Riders at Sega HQ. They also have Jet as an unlockable skin if you do the relevant fetch quests. Which tbf is pretty much what Sonic Speed Simulator is all about - doing certain numbers of things like get 1,000 rings, destroy 500 badniks etc. Just that it's charming enough to be a fun time waster for a few days.

While Amy has long since been written into a corner by unimaginative writers, there are other female characters that can be played off equally as well by Sonic and co that don't involve romance that are so painfully underused. But when it comes to Boom specifically, I agree with you there. I think it probably got cancelled because the games sorta ended at around that time as well. The show was epic, the games less so.

I haven't, primarily because I don't have a Netflix account. My two options are to sail the high seas to watch it, or wait for it to come out on disc or (significantly less likely) other streaming services. I'm told it's enjoyable, but I get the sense it may be because the relationships of most characters to Sonic have effectively been reset to zero rather than being an established relationship stretching back all the way to Sonic 2. I think the Sonic 2 movie works for this reason as well. Us gamers know Sonic and Tails, Mario and Luigi, Zelda and the princess he has to rescue, and so on, but non-gamers or people who don't know the universes are going in effectively blind.

Regarding my marathon: Sonic Unleashed is not a bad game, and I will fight anyone that says otherwise!

@BeerIsAwesome Jet does seem to have hung around in the wider brand's memory (at least, longer than the rest of the Babylon Rogues) which is pretty cool. I keep seeing merchandise and artwork of him crop up in places I wouldn't usually expect. Always gives me hope!

Yep. Blaze the Cat. The best lady in the Sonic universe, but also the most forgotten. I'd give anything for a mainline game to feature her in a meaningful role.

I've seen a lot of folks compare Sonic Prime (favourably) to the Archie comics and the 90s cartoons, specifically SatAM Sonic. It apparently places a greater focus on world-building and the community around Sonic, giving him greater superhero vibes than his usual wandering hero schtick. Which makes sense if they've also reset all of the interpersonal relationships, as you say. It's certainly a unique approach in the wake of the movies' family tone and the pure comedy in Sonic Boom. I was a little worried when it was announced; how many competing versions of Sonic can be sustained at once?

You ever find yourself in that fight, and rest assured I'd be standing right beside you, buddy!

@RogerRoger I doubt you'll see him in any higher a capacity than Marine or Sticks. As in, a franchise character used for collection purposes in a game like Sonic Speed Simulator or any of the Sonic Dash mobile games. Apparently there's four of those now.

Sonic Frontiers made sense just having the four of them in a more intimate setting (ironically for an open world game), and it all made sense narratively, thanks to Ian Flynn. So having a load of characters packed into a game "just because" isn't necessarily a winner. I think the reaction to Shadow The Hedgehog has probably dissuaded Sega from those kinds of spin-offs, which means they they will forever be relegated to either side character status or foils for Sonic.

I grew up on Jaleel White's Sonic, and it's perhaps why I always think of him as the best voice actor. Every voice actor from Adventure onwards just seems like they aged the character up by about ten years. Maybe that's a me thing. So you can probably guess that means I like SatAM and AoStH more than pretty much anything released after Sonic R, which means that if it's compared favourably, I'm definitely going to enjoy it!

I guess you can make an argument that SatAM, AoStH and Underground (and that good movie with terrible voice acting) are all different universes at roughly the same time. Whatever gets eyeballs on the franchise I guess. I remember many years back that there were three Silent Hill games coming out in the same month (albeit on three different systems) and people saying that each would cannibalize the other, but I don't think that ever really happened. Moreover, in Sonic's case it just increases the exposure of the franchise!

If there's one thing I can say about Unleashed, it's that the graphics still look good two systems later! The controls are pretty tight too, even if much of the game is press square to boost and you're at the exit already. I'll skip the back end of the game if I don't have the medals for it though. I've already got a couple of bad endings so far in this marathon from not collecting emeralds.

@BeerIsAwesome ...which is a shame, as I'd play twice the asking price for a Shadow the Hedgehog 2 and gladly take it over all four of those mobile games. Oh well. Times change, I suppose!

Jaleel White's Sonic performance is pretty iconic, and captured the spirit of its generation, for sure. His is the second Sonic voice I think of, right after the multi-talented Jason Griffith (although I don't think there's ever been a bad Sonic voice actor, and long may Roger Craig Smith continue in the role, at least as far as the games go). That's actually one of the things I respect about the Sonic franchise; branching projects aside, it all follows a linear history. There are trackable character arcs and subtle signs of change, like you note in the various voice actors. Frontiers is the first game to make it blatant, which surprised a lot of folks who hadn't noticed before, but it's always been there. Gonna be real interesting to see where it's all heading!

You're playing Unleashed on PS3, right? Gosh darn it, if you were on Xbox Series X, I'd encourage you to persevere with those medals, because Jungle Joyride and Eggmanland are actually fun when they run smoothly! Such an ambitious game. It deserves way more respect than it gets.

@RogerRoger For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure three of those Sonic Dash games are exactly the same, with Boom having you start as characters from Boom, and Prime being the same with the characters in that series. Sonic Forces Speed Battle is a sequel that has you racing in real time with others online.

I imagine if the voice sounded like Tom Cruise, or Barry White, or even one of the Bee Gees, then that's the voice I would take as iconic. It's really just what I grew up with. Credit to Sega though, with the games the voice actors haven't actually been a million miles away from eachother. Sega clearly wanted a sound, and every actor has stuck to it in their own unique ways.

PS3 version here. I guess playing it on the PS3 is still better than playing it on the PS2. I did actually own the PS2 version once, because I didn't actually get a PS3 until after Unleashed came out. It's easy to criticise a game on its frame rate when every modern game is running at 60fps, but one imagines it was probably amazing seeing something that looks this good and runs this well at the time. Uncharted 2 blew pretty much everything on every system out of the water, but it is a year younger than this game.

My family has had a Switch for years, yet I've never actually played anything on it other than party games like Mario Kart or Mario Party. Thanks to losing access to my PC recently, I felt there was no better time than now to check out some singleplayer Switch exclusives. In the end my decision came down to Xenoblade Chronicles, Bayonetta or Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. I ended up going for that last one. Why didn't I start with Kingdom Battle? Well, partly because I had heard the gameplay of the sequel was improved, but mostly because I couldn't resist getting straight to my favourite Mario character, Rosalina (who upsettingly hasn't yet shown up in the nine-ish hours I've put in so far)!

I had always been casually intrigued by this spin-off franchise, but it's not until recently I looked into it more. You see, I just watched part of a full playthrough by one of my favourite YouTubers of... X-Com 2. Ever since, I've been aching for something to try out that has that turn-based style of combat. Mixing that recent feeling with the want to play something on Switch, this seemed like the perfect candidate all things considered. And so far, I think it has lived up to that expectation.

I've been having a great time with it. Sure, it's fairly easy up until this point. I've cleared three of the big Darkmess puddles you need to get the purified whatever, so I've practically finished 1.5 planet. Maybe the difficulty ramps up from here still, but if I'm honest... I prefer when my gameplay is leaning towards easy with the occasional challenge. I don't need to steamroll anyone or anything, but I don't usually get fun out of getting my ass handed to me and replaying sections. Cuphead was probably the one notable exception on that front and I think the fact that I played it in co-op probably had a lot to do with that. Point being, the difficulty or lack thereof has not been an issue for me in any way. I find it highly satisfying to plan out my approach and watch it all unfold gloriously (or occasionally incredibly stupidly).

I will say I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of Sparks available in the game and upgrading them. It just seems like there keeps being more and more of them and I honestly can't keep up with what I have and am getting anymore at this point. I also made it a point to switch out characters constantly on the first planet, but on the second so far I've just been playing an endless Peach + Luigi + Emo Rabbid tag team. I've found those three a very effective pairing. Peach for the protection and short-range, Luigi for the long-range snipes and overwatches and Emo Rabbid for taking out multiple enemies at a time from wherever. I know Emo Rabbid has a name, but I've forgotten it and this is now the codename he's taken up in turn.

I do worry that the planets are filled with a lot of side content. Okay, maybe not that much all things considered since you can clear it in a few hours, but it does essentially just repeat the combat over and over. So far I've not had a problem with that necessarily, but I fear it might start feeling repetitive sooner rather than later. I hope they keep introducing new mechanics and enemy types to keep things fresh and interesting, which I would say has been the case so far. I have the curse of feeling the compulsion to 100% whatever I do in games, so if this takes a turn for the worse it could really affect my enjoyment of the game. I'll just have to force myself to mainline the main content then, I suppose.

Anyone else played this and can either assuage my fears or confirm them?